Enclosure for a gas turbine and method for enclosing the same

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an enclosure for a gas turbine, the enclosure including an enclosure section configured to partially enclose the gas turbine, and at least one other enclosure section, the at least one other enclosure section being configured to assemble with the enclosure section in a manner that associates the at least one other enclosure section with the enclosure section, wherein said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section are configured to substantially enclose the gas turbine when the at least one other enclosure section is associated with the enclosure section.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The disclosure relates generally to an enclosure for a gas turbine, and more particularly to a modular enclosure for a gas turbine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, enclosures for gas turbines are built in the field using individual piece parts. Building turbine enclosures in this manner can be time consuming and expensive due to such issues as inclement weather and costly field labor. Other issues arise when the individual piece parts do not match up, or when two parts occupy the same space inside the enclosure. These issues take time to resolve, with modifications having to be made in the field by the costly laborers discussed above. In addition, turbine maintenance can be costly and time consuming in that many individual piece parts (enclosure walls pipes, wiring, etc.) must be removed to access the turbine. Accordingly, a turbine enclosure that could be more efficiently manufactured, and offer easier access to the turbine for maintenance, would be desirable.

SUMMARY

Disclosed is an enclosure for a gas turbine, the enclosure including an enclosure section configured to partially enclose the gas turbine, and at least one other enclosure section, the at least one other enclosure section being configured to assemble with the enclosure section in a manner that associates the at least one other enclosure section with the enclosure section, wherein said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section are configured to substantially enclose the gas turbine when the at least one other enclosure section is associated with the enclosure section.

Also disclosed is a method for enclosing a gas turbine, the method including providing an enclosure section configured to partially enclose the gas turbine, providing at least one other enclosure section configured to partially enclose the gas turbine the at least one other enclosure section being configured to assemble with the enclosure section in a manner that associates the at least one other enclosure section with the enclosure section, assembling the enclosure section with the at least one other enclosure section, and substantially enclosing the gas turbine via the assembling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following descriptions should not be considered limiting in any way. With reference to the accompanying drawings, like elements are numbered alike:

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded view of an enclosure for a gas turbine;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an assembled enclosure for the gas turbine;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of another embodiment of an assembled enclosure for the gas turbine; and

FIG. 4, is a block diagram illustrating a method for enclosing a gas turbine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, an enclosure 10 for a gas turbine 12 is illustrated. The modular enclosure 10 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 includes four enclosure sections 14 a-d that are manufactured separately from each other. Each of these enclosure sections 14 a-d are configured to partially enclose the turbine 12. When assembled, the enclosure sections 14 a-d are detachably associated with each other in a manner that substantially encloses the turbine 12. The assembled sections 14 a-d are best illustrated as an assembled enclosure 16 in FIG. 2. Detachable association between the sections 14 a-d may be accomplished via any desirable means, such as but not limited to industrial latching devices and threaded instruments.

As is best shown in FIG. 1, each of the sections 14 a-d include infrastructure components 18. These components 18 comprise elements necessary to operation of the turbine 12, such as piping 20, junction boxes 22, heaters 24, wiring 26, and support structures 28. Since the enclosure sections 14 a-d are manufactured separately from each other (as is mentioned above), each section 14 a-d is manufactured to individually include its respective portion of the infrastructure components 18 (of the assembled enclosure 16 as a whole) prior to assembly of the sections 14 a-d into an assembled enclosure 16. The components 18 are configured and aligned within each section 14 a-d such that, upon assembly into the assembled enclosure 16 of FIG. 2, the components 18 of each section 14 a-d will detachably associate with the appropriate components 18 of the other sections 14 a-d, as well as the appropriate portions of the turbine 12. For example, when the sections 14 a-d are assembled, pipes 20 a-c of section 14 a are aligned to associate with pipes 20 d-f of section 14 b. Piping alignment such as this allows for an efficient assembling of the of the enclosure sections 14 a-d into the assembled enclosure 16.

As is best shown in FIG. 2, the sections 14 a-d in this embodiment, when assembled, comprise each of four corners 29 a-d of the assembled enclosure 16. As such, the geometries of the four sections 14 a-d are at least partially defined by a cross section 30 taken along substantially vertical centerline 32 of the assembled enclosure 16, and a cross section 34 taken along substantially horizontal centerline 36 of the assembled enclosure 16. With the exception of intended access openings (such as opening 38) that are defined by the sections 14 a-d when the sections 14 a-d are assembled, and with the exception of open space 40 that is internally disposed between the components 18 of each section 14 a-d, the sections 14 a-d essentially extend from outer walls 41 of the assembled enclosure 16 to the vertical centerline 32 and horizontal centerline 36 of the assembled enclosure 16. This configuration allows the sections 14 a-d to occupy the four corners 29 a-d of the assembled enclosure 16.

Referring now to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the enclosure 10 may also include six enclosure segments 42 a-f. Similarly to the enclosure sections 14 a-d of FIGS. 1 and 2, these six enclosure segments 42 a-f detachably associate with each other and include detachably associable infrastructure components 18. Besides including six enclosure segments 42 a-f instead of four enclosure segments 14 a-d, the enclosure segments 42 a-f of the embodiment of FIG. 3 differ from the segments 14 a-d of the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 in that they are divided by horizontal cross sections 44 alone (as opposed to the vertical cross section 30 and horizontal cross section 34 of FIGS. 1 and 2).

Referring now at least to the embodiments of FIGS. 103, it should be appreciated that individual manufacture of the sections 14 a-d and 42 a-f allows the sections to be manufactured off-site and later assembled at a remote location (different form the manufacturing location) in the field. This off-site manufacturing can be accomplished in a factory setting, which can offer better manufacturing conditions (such as weather conditions) and hold down labor costs. In addition, the detachable nature of the sections 14 a-d and 42 a-f of the enclosure 10 allows for efficient access to the turbine 12 when turbine maintenance is necessary.

It should also be appreciated that though the sections 14 a-d and 42 a-f of FIGS. 1-3 are shown in specific numbers with specific geometries, the enclosure 10 may include any desirable number of sections that are configured in any desirable geometry to each individual section. Being that these enclosure sections may be manufactured in a factory and transported (possibly via flat-bed truck) to a field location, a number of sections of a modular enclosure, as well as the geometries of those sections, may me selected based on ease of transport.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a method 100 for enclosing a gas turbine 12 is illustrated. The method 100 includes providing an enclosure section 14 a or 42 a configured to partially enclose the gas turbine 12, and providing at least one other enclosure section 14 b-d and 42 b-f configured to partially enclose the gas turbine 12, wherein the at least one other enclosure section 14 b-d and 42 b-f is configured to assemble with the enclosure section 14 a and 42 a in a manner that associates the at least one other enclosure section 14 b-d and 42 b-f with the enclosure section 14 a and 42 a, as shown in operational block 102. The method 100 also includes assembling the enclosure section 14 a and 42 a with the at least one other enclosure section 14 b-d and 42 b-f, and substantially enclosing the gas turbine 12 via the assembling, as shown in operational block 104.

It will be noted that while the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or substance to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof. Therefore, it is important that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the apportioned claims. Moreover, it will be further noted that unless specifically stated any use of the terms first, second, etc. do not denote any order or importance, but rather the terms first, second, etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. 

1. An enclosure for a gas turbine, the enclosure comprising: an enclosure section configured to partially enclose the gas turbine; and at least one other enclosure section, said at least one other enclosure section being configured to assemble with said enclosure section in a manner that associates said at least one other enclosure section with said enclosure section, wherein said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section are configured to substantially enclose the gas turbine when said at least one other enclosure section is associated with said enclosure section.
 2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section include infrastructure components, said infrastructure components of said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section being configured for association with each other and the gas turbine.
 3. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein said infrastructure components include at least one of piping, junction boxes, heaters, wiring, and support structures.
 4. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section comprise at least four total enclosure sections.
 5. The enclosure of claim 4, wherein said at least four total enclosure sections are four total enclosure sections, wherein a cross section taken along a substantially vertical centerline of an assembled enclosure and a cross section taken along a substantially horizontally centerline of said assembled enclosure at least partially define a geometry of each of said four total enclosure sections.
 6. The enclosure of claim 4, wherein a plurality of horizontal cross sections through an assembled enclosure at least partially define a geometry of each of said total enclosure sections.
 7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein said at least one other enclosure section is configured to assemble with said enclosure section in a manner that detachably associates said at least one other enclosure section with said enclosure section.
 8. A method for enclosing a gas turbine, the method comprising: providing an enclosure section configured to partially enclose the gas turbine; providing at least one other enclosure section configured to partially enclose the gas turbine, said at least one other enclosure section being configured to assemble with said enclosure section in a manner that associates said at least one other enclosure section with said enclosure section; assembling said enclosure section with said at least one other enclosure section; and substantially enclosing the gas turbine via said assembling.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said providing of said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section is a manufacturing of said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section, said manufacturing being preformed at a different location than said assembling.
 10. The method of claim 9, further including transporting said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section from said different location to a location for said assembling.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section are sized such that said transporting occurs via an automobile no larger than a flat-bed truck.
 12. The method of claim 8, further including providing said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section with infrastructure components, and assembling said infrastructure components of said at least one other enclosure section and said enclosure section with each other and the gas turbine.
 13. The modular enclosure of claim 8, further including assembling said at least one other enclosure section with said enclosure section in a manner that allows said at least one other enclosure section to detach from said enclosure section.
 14. The method of claim 13, further including detaching said enclosure section from said at least one other enclosure section to perform maintenance on the gas turbine. 